Methods of assembling electrical components

ABSTRACT

A ROTATABLE TURNTABLE HAVING A PLURALITY OF WORKHOLDERS SPACED ABOUT THE PERIPHERY THEREOF IS INDEXED TO ADVANCE EACH OF THE WORKHOLDERS SUCCESSIVELY THROUGH EACH OF A PLURALITY OF WORK STATIONS POSITIONED ADJACENT THE PERIPHPER OF THE TURNTABLE TO ASSEMBLE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. A FIRST PART POSITIONED IN ONE OF THE WORKHOLDERS AT A FIRST WORK STATION HAS THE LEADING END OF AN INSULATED WIRE EXTENDING FROM A SUPPLY OF WIRE WELDED THERETO AT A SECOND WORK STATION, AFTER WHICH THE FIRST PART IS INDEXED TO A THIRD WORK STATION WITHOUT SEVERING THE WIRE EXTENDING FROM THE FIRST PART TO THE SUPPLY. AT THE THIRD WORK STATION A PORTION OF THE WIRE EXTENDING TO THE FIRST PART IN THE WORKHOLDER IS SEVERED FROM THE SUPPLY AND THE NEW LEADING END OF THE WIRE IS ATTACHED TO THE FIRST PART IN THE NEXT SUCCEEDING WORKHOLDER. THE FIRST PART IS ROTATED IN THE FIRST WORKHOLDER WHILE TENSIONING THE WIRE EXTENDING FROM AND SECURED TO THE FIRST PART TO WIND THE WIRE THEREON AS THE WORKHOLDER IS ADVANCED WITH THE TURNTABLE THROUGH A FOURTH AND A FIFTH WORK STATION TO A SIXTH WORK STATION. AT THE SIXTH WORK STATION A SECOND PART IS ASSEMBLED TO THE FIRST PART AND, SIMULTANEOUSLY, THE INSULATION ON A PORTION OF THE WIRE EXTENDING FROM THE FIRST PART IS STRIPPED. AT A SEVENTH WORK STATION THE TRAILING PORTION OF THE WIRE IS WELDED TO A METAL CAP WHICH IS SECURED TO THE SECOND PART AND THE STRENGTH OF THE WELD IS TESTED, WHEREAFTER THE ELECTRICAL COMPONENT IS ADVANCED TO A LAST WORK STATION AND TESTED ELECTRICALLY AND THEN SORTED.

Nov. 9, 1971 T. A. LA VALLE 3,618,204

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Nov. 19, 1969 19 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 7. A. LA VALLE BY 8w.imww.

A T TORNE V Nov. 9, 1971 A, LA VALLE 3,618,204

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Nov. 19, 1969 19 Sheets-Sheet t:

T. A. LA VALLE METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed m. 19, 1969 Nov. 9, 1971 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 $618,204 METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Nov. 19,1969

9,1971 1'." A. LA VALLE I 19 Sheets-Sheet 4 NOV. 9, 1971 LA VALLE 3,618,204

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Nov. 19, 1969 I 19 Sheets-Sheet 5 Nov. 9, 1971 1 T. A. LA VALLE 3,618,204

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 19 Sheets-Sheet '7 Filed Nov. 19, 1969 2 1 T v 234 I i 2/2 3 43 I i 1 Nov. 9, 1971 A, LA VALLE 3,618,204

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENT Filed Nov. 19, 1969 19 Sheets-Sheet 8 ll l "l llll NOV. 9, 197] V L 3,618,204

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 19 Sheets-Sheet 9 i w Filed Nov. 19, 1969 Nov. 9, 1971 A. LA VALLE METHODS OF ASSEMBLING. ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Nov. 19, 1969 i9 Sheets-Sheet 1O Nov. 9, 1971 --r. A. LA VALLE I 1 METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed NOV. 19, 1969 19 Sheets-Sheet 11 Qwm Uhm

Nov. 9, 1971 T. A. LA VALLE 3,618,204

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 19 Sheets-Sheet 12 Filed Nov. 19, 1969 I\ WON .KNOM

19 Shjts-Sheet 14 T. A. LA VALLE METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Nov. 9, 1971 Fi l ed Nov'. 19, 1969 m m 4 35 n n u I u 1" Nov. 9, 1971 T. A. LA VALLE METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Nov. 19, 1969 19 Sheets-Sheet 1'7 mom . .9 w .82 IR 3 bmv Q nfirfa 3 .E n w w W n H H m m l I n f w goon n u n w u u n u n n n n w u 2 C u f j I m n m .n u m Fkn vmmm m u m m n m hr I M m mom u u m L W i n n w m n i 1 I w u m .nn .9 .x R .3 nhm x? I\ POM. New

METHODS OF ASSEMBLING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS Filed Nov. 19, 1969 1971 T. A. LA VALLE 19 Sheets-Sheet 19 nom United States Patent 01 fice 3,613,204 Patented Nov. 9, 1971 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A rotatable turntable having a plurality of workholders spaced about the periphery thereof is indexed to advance each of the workholders successively through each of a plurality of work stations positioned adjacent the periphery of the turntable to assemble electrical components. A first part positioned in one of the workholders at a first Work station has the leading end of an insulated wire extending from a supply of wire welded thereto at a second Work station, after which the first part is indexed to a third work station without severing the Wire extending from the first part to the supply. At the third work station a portion of the wire extending to the first part in the workholder is severed from the supply and the new leading end of the Wire is attached to the first part in the next succeeding workholder. The first part is rotated in the first workholder while tensioning the wire extending from and secured to the first part to wind the wire thereon as the workholder is advanced with the turntable through a fourth and a fifth work station to a sixth work station. At the sixth Work station a second part is assembled to the first part and, simultaneously, the insulation on a portion of the wire extending from the first part is stripped. At a seventh Work station the trailing portion of the wire is welded to a metal cap which is secured to the second part and the strength of the weld is tested, whereafter the electrical component is advanced to a last work station and tested electrically and then sorted.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION (1) Field of the invention This invention relates to methods of assembling electrical components and, more particularly, to methods of advancing successive ones of a mass of first parts on an indexable turntable through a plurality of work stations to fabricate the first part and for assembling successive ones of a mass of second parts to successive ones of the first parts and for connecting electrically each assembly of first and second parts to form an electrical component assembly.

(2) Description of the prior art In the manufacturing of electrical components, first parts and second parts must be fabricated and assembled together. For example, in the manufacture of heat coils which are used in central offices in incoming telephone lines to ground out overload currents before these currents damage the equipment in the central office, a bared leading end of an insulated filamentary wire must have a portion thereof Welded to a sleeve of a pin and sleeve subassembly and then the wire must be wound around the pin and sleeve subassembly. The trailing end of the Wire must be stripped of insulation and welded to a metal cap attached to a plastic shell which has been positioned over the pin and sleeve subassembly.

In the past, many of the operations related to the assembly of these heat coils have been accomplished by hand. Needless to say, this has been a time consuming and expensive task. Clearly, with the large quantities of heat coils which are required in building and maintaining telephone systems, more sophisticated methods and apparatus are in order for the mass production of heat coils.

To date, commercially available apparatus have been available which perform some of the steps required for the more efiicient assembly of heat coils. Some of these apparatus include devices for feeding the pin and sleeve subassemblies successively and individually into workholders arranged about the periphery of an indexable turntable. The pin and sleeve subassemblies are fabricated in the workholders and, subsequently, individual ones of a mass of plastic shells having a metal cap secured to one end thereof are fed into engagement with and secured to individual ones of the pin and sleeve subassemblies. Moreover, these apparatus have also included devices for stripping initially a continuous insulated conductor wire from a supply thereof at spaced portions along the length thereof, the spaced portions coincide with the point of initial attachment of the wire to the sleeve of the pin and sleeve subassembly and to the point of subsequent attachment of the trailing end of the wire to the cap on the plastic shell. Facilities have also been provided for winding the Wire on the pin and sleeve subassembly as the pin and sleeve subassemblies are advanced through the work stations spaced about the periphery of the turntable. Welding stations are provided in these apparatus for welding the leading and the trailing ends of each length of wire to the sleeve of the pin and sleeve subassembly and to the metal cap, respectively. However, no facilities were provided in these apparatus for strength testing the weld of the trailing end of the wire to the cap; nor were there facilities for testing electrically the heat coil assembly prior to ejecting the heat coil assembly from the apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this invention to provide new an improved methods of assembling automatically electrical components.

It is another object of this invention to provide methods of assembling automatically successive ones of a plurality of first parts with successive ones of a plurality of second parts and for joining a wire to the first and second parts of each assembly thereof.

Still another object of this invention is to provide new and improved methods of testing the strength of a joint between a portion of a length of wire bonded to a part.

A yet still further object of this invention is to provide new and improved methods of positioning a wire extending from a supply in transverse engagement with a part to join the wire to the part and for forming the part while severing the wire at the joint and then orienting the part to wind automatically the wire on the part.

A method of automatically assembling successive ones of a mass of second parts to successive one of a mass of first parts and for joining a wire to the first and second parts of each assembly of first and second parts, embodying certain principles of the present invention, may include the steps of conveying in seriatim successive ones 

